Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown 2.0 Reveals State Of Global Coal Detailed by Country for COP26 Climate Negotiations

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Powering Past Coal Alliance Unveil Site-Wide Updates to the World’s Go-To Online Resource to Track Progress Toward Phasing Out Coal

Dashboard Upgrades Provide Decision-Makers with Free, Accurate, and Comprehensive Data on the World’s 6,593 Remaining Coal Plant Units

New York, NY and Glasgow, Scotland – Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), today released significant updates to the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown, the most comprehensive online resource on the state of global coal. New features include country-level data and analysis on coal plant capacity, coal power generation, expected coal retirements, and latest country commitments to phasing out coal, as well as coal reports, research, and news stories.

Coinciding with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ announcement today of a new campaign to close a quarter of the world’s remaining coal plants and all proposed coal plants by 2025 by expanding its current work to an additional 25 developing countries where coal power is projected to rapidly grow, the new features of the Bloomberg Coal Countdown aim to equip government, businesses, and financial decision-makers with free, transparent, and comprehensive data on the world’s progress toward phasing out coal power.

One-third of all carbon emissions come from burning coal, making it the single largest contributor to climate change. Phasing out coal power as quickly as possible is a crucial step toward stemming global warming and improving air quality and public health. To stay within 1.5°C of warming — the limit science demands to avoid the worst impacts of climate change — UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for a phaseout of coal by 2030 for the OECD and EU27 and by 2040 everywhere else.

“To address the climate crisis, we need to phase out the cause of one-third of global carbon emissions: coal,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions. “That’s exactly what we’ve been doing at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where we’ve helped to shut down more than 65% of coal-fired plants in the U.S. and more than 50% in Europe. But we need the world to join us, and we’re hopeful that these updates to the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown will help rally support by providing countries with the data they need to take action.”

Powered by leading international data and knowledge partners — including Global Energy Monitor, the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Ember, and E3G — the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown now provides the world with enhanced detail on the global state of coal, including:

• Coal Plant Tracker: Data on all existing coal plants of 30 MW or larger, as well as every plant proposed, by their operational status at the global, country, and plant level since January 1, 2010
• Coal Commitments: Commitments of individual countries to phase out coal and / or to “no new coal” power plant construction
• Country Factbook: At a glance, individual fact sheets for 106 countries, including comprehensive country-level data on coal plant capacity, coal power electricity generation, coal phaseout strategies, expected retirements, and global emission pathways
• Coal News: Latest headlines and news articles on the coal phaseout by country
• Research and Analysis: Data and reports by leading independent climate and energy think tanks, academic institutions, and research organizations.

“COP26 must be the moment we leave coal in the past, while supporting workers and local communities to make the transition to green jobs,” said Alok Sharma, COP President-Designate. “The comprehensive, accurate data presented by the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown will be an important input to the negotiations, and I thank Mike Bloomberg for his leadership in driving the global coal phase out and energy transition.”

“Bloomberg Philanthropies is a valued partner that has played an important role in the success of the Powering Past Coal Alliance over the past four years,” said The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Canada and Powering Past Coal Alliance Co-Chair. “Through comprehensive tracking of the world’s coal phase-out efforts, the Global Coal Countdown will highlight successes to date and areas of focus, so that we can help our international partners move past coal. Collaborating on our shared goal of eliminating unabated coal-fired power will accelerate the transition to cleaner energy and a cleaner economy.”

The first step in curbing emissions and keeping the planet on course with a 1.5-degree pathway is phasing out coal as soon as possible, requiring bold international action. Today’s announcement comes as governments continue to make individual and collective commitments to  accelerate the transition from coal to clean energy.  This includes the launch in September of the No New Coal Power Compact — an initiative in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call for countries to end construction of new coal-fired power this year.

The Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown reflects Mike Bloomberg’s commitment to utilizing data, research, and analysis to accelerate the global clean energy transition. Earlier this month, BloombergNEF and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Climate Policy Factbook revealed G-20 member countries have given more than $3.3 trillion in subsidies for coal, oil, gas, and fossil-fuel power from 2015-2019, despite making commitments to phase out coal. The site also builds on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ longstanding efforts in supporting the phaseout of coal globally, including its support for the US Beyond Coal campaign, which has helped retire more than 65% of the country’s coal plants, and Europe Beyond Coal, helping retire over 50% of the continent’s coal plants. The success of these campaigns has also inspired the launch of campaigns in Australia, South Korea, and Japan.

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About Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

About Powering Past Coal Alliance

The Powering Past Coal Alliance was formed by Canada and the UK in 2017 to bring together national and subnational governments and the private sector to accelerate the phaseout of unabated coal power. Since then, the Alliance has grown to more than 135 members who are at the forefront of accelerating real-world action on coal power phaseout. On Thursday 4 November, the PPCA and UK COP Presidency mainstage event “Powering the World Past Coal” will bring together ministers and other prominent global figures from the private sector, cities, regions, and international organizations to showcase action to accelerate coal phase-out and welcome new members and partners to the Alliance.

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Media Contact:

Marshall Cohen – Bloomberg Philanthropies

mcohen@bloomberg.org

+1-646-819-2611